viii. to catch thy enemy

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

CHAPTER EIGHT:
TO CATCH THY ENEMY

■ ■ ■ ■

VERONA HALE WAS NERVOUS, something that didn't happen often in her immortal years. She'd seen so much more than the average person would in their lifetime, and she'd lived to tell the tale without a hitch. But the idea of speaking to her mate had her in a frenzy, pacing back and forth in her bedroom, phone clutched in her shaking hands.

Alec had written to her earlier that week, asking her if she wanted to talk over the phone. She was uncertain at first, but confident enough to respond, giving him her number and asking when he'd like to call. But the closer and closer she came to actually hearing his voice, the more nervous she began to feel. Alice was the only one in her family to know it was going to happen. Verona hadn't wanted to tell the others (Rosalie) in fear of what they (she) would think. She knew they supported her, they'd made that clear over the past couple of weeks, but she still had her doubts sometimes.

Alice, however, wasn't there to soothe her worries. She'd convinced the others to go on a hunt with her, leaving her best friend with nothing but her thoughts for company. And her thoughts were scaring her more than they were calming her down. What if he decided she wasn't good enough for him? What if something happened where all her worst fears came true?

Before she was able to message him and back out, her phone started to ring. Verona's heart stopped as she peered down at the screen. Alec's name stared back at her, taunting her. Contemplating her next move, she pressed the green answer button without thinking, her hand moving the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello there." It was like the world had suddenly stopped spinning. Alec's voice was like music to her ears, something that her heart had been yearning for since they first started exchanging letters. She was falling harder and harder by the second, despite the demonic part of her brain that screamed for her to stop and think, to realise who she was talking to and what she was putting at risk. "Verona, can you hear me?"

Her name sounded positively sweet coming from his mouth, his smooth accent sending shivers down her spine. She would sit there the whole day and listen to him talk if she could, but alas, the fates weren't on her side that time around. They didn't have much time, with her family set to arrive home at any moment. She knew they wouldn't say anything about her speaking to her mate, but she could still feel the wariness whenever the topic was brought up. She didn't want anyone to feel uncomfortable, so she tried to make it quick, even if the thought of saying goodbye so soon made her heart ache.

"Sorry," she chuckled, breathless. "I'm just nervous."

"It's okay," Alec muttered. "I am too."

A smile tugged at her lips, bright and raw in its happiness. They sat there and spoke for what seemed like hours, but in reality, was only a couple of minutes. Verona's concerns stayed with her the whole time, but she couldn't stop the words from flowing out of her mouth, the eagerness to have someone she could call her soulmate becoming all too much to bare. Alec seemed content with it too, so she fought away the darkness that threatened to consume her, to ruin the hope that was slowly growing inside her. 

But the darkness, the complete and utter truth, could only be kept at bay for so long.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

BELLA SWAN WAS BY far the clumsiest person Verona had met in her one hundred years of living. Edward had arrived with the girl in question just a couple minutes ago, his golden eyes containing pure fury as he held her close to his side. Bella's hand was bruised as she clutched it to her chest, her brown eyes glassy from unshed tears. Something had happened, something that brought harm to her, and something that unleashed the anger that the mind-reading vampire usually tried to keep captive. Verona would bet money on that something being the shape-shifter that the human girl always hung around, not that she said anything out loud. It'd only annoy her brother more, and something told her he wouldn't appreciate a sarcastic comment.

Carlisle was tending to Bella's hand, his cold fingers poking and prodding at the bruises and cuts on her skin, causing her to wince in pain. Verona crossed the room then, taking a seat beside her and clutching her other hand, allowing her power to do its thing. Black veins appeared on her arms, her hands starting to ache with pain that belonged to another. Bella shot her a smile, her tense expression beginning to fade.

"Bella," Emmett smirked as he strutted the room with Jasper by his side. "You try walking and chewing gum at the same time again?"

Verona let out a snort, but quickly smothered the sound with a huff as he sat down beside her, strands of curly brown hair hanging in front of his eyes. Emmett always had this care-free look about him, something she often envied when things started to become too much to tolerate. Edward, however, didn't seem pleased with his brother's input, as he shot him an annoyed hiss over his mate's head.

Bella only chuckled at Emmett's teasing, sending him a tiny smile to placate Edward's anger. "I punched a shape-shifter in the face."

"Badass," Emmett grinned, patting her on her uninjured arm. "You're gonna be one tough newborn."

"Tough enough to take you on," Bella retorted, completely at ease.

Verona winced at the sound of a book slamming against the coffee table. Rosalie stormed past them without a word, her narrowed eyes glaring daggers at Bella, before she disappeared out onto the balcony without so much as a glance back. They watched her leave in silence, used to her fits of anger when it came to the topic of Bella's transition. She didn't approve, and nothing any of them said or did could change her mind. Once she had her heart set on something, it was hard to convince her otherwise, and that time around was no different.

Emmett noticed the frown on Bella's face, and let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "Don't worry about it, Bella."

She ignored him, rising to her feet and following Rosalie outside, wanting to figure things out with the blonde, who meant a lot to Edward and the others. They watched her leave in silence, eventually tuning out their conversation as Rosalie rose to Bella's challenge, telling her about her human life and why she didn't want Bella to give up her humanity without thinking about it first, without having a real reason to transition.

"Got any leads?" Edward asked, his eyes still simmering with anger.

"There's been no sign of the intruder," Jasper shook his head, honey-blonde curls falling around his face. "Victoria continues to make appearances, though."

"What are we going to do about her?" Verona sighed, frowning at the thought of the persistent redhead. "Bella can't leave town every time she decides to show up. We have to take care of the problem somehow."

"She's too smart," Carlisle mumbled. "She always finds a way around us."

That was true. Victoria always seemed to have a backup plan. She always had another escape route, another variable to throw in and shock them. But she wasn't perfect. She had to slip up somewhere, and they were determined to be there when she did, to end things for good.

"Then we have to start thinking like she does," Verona insisted, leaning back in her seat. "To catch the villain, you need to be the villain. This whole time, we've been thinking like ourselves, but that's going to get us nowhere."

Her phone vibrated in her jacket pocket. She didn't need to look to know who it was, and she quickly clambered to her feet, leaving the room without a glance back, her words lingering in the air.

To catch the enemy, they needed to start thinking like her.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

VERONA WAS IN HER room, lying on her bed with her phone clutched in her hands, eyes directed towards the screen as she waited for his response. Alec had messaged her earlier that evening and they hadn't stopped texting since. They were each other's addiction, drawn to each other with each word sent, and neither of them could bring themselves to stop.

A knock came from her bedroom door, bringing her out of her reverie. Verona was across the room in an instant, her eyebrows raised as she stood in the open doorway, taking in the person that lingered opposite her. Rosalie hadn't spoken to her since they returned all those weeks ago. Sure, they'd been part of family discussions, but they hadn't gone out of their way to spend one-on-one time together, not like they used to. Rosalie had been too opposed to her sister's relationship, but it seemed like something had changed her mind.

"Verona," she sighed, shoulders tense. "Can..."

Verona moved aside without a word, holding the door open for her. Rosalie stepped inside with a hesitant smile, the silence between them suffocating as they crossed the room, taking a seat on the bed. Verona watched her sister through hooded eyes, waiting for her to make the first move.

"I'm sorry," Rosalie said after a moment of reluctance. "I've been a horrible sister these past few weeks. I should've been supporting you, not making things worse than they had to be. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Verona smiled, reaching out to hold her hand. "I forgive you."

Rosalie had always been reserved, that hadn't changed in the hundred years they'd known each other. But when it came to the people she cared for, she was more than willing to step out of her shell. Verona was her sister, maybe not by blood, but by heart. And when she heard of what happened, she overreacted and refused to apologise, as per her stubborn nature. But in the weeks they hadn't spoken to each other, she'd truly missed Verona's presence in her life. Verona was a flicker of happiness that Rosalie hadn't valued until she took a step back, and she didn't want to be without her any longer.

Verona's phone vibrated suddenly, the screen lighting up with a text message. Biting down on her lip, Verona's eyes flickered from her phone to her sister, who also looked down at the device, sensing her hesitance to pick it up.

"Is that him?" Verona stayed silent, but Rosalie could see it in her eyes, the way they lit up at the mention of her mate, her missing piece. "You can check it if you want to."

"Are you sure?" Verona's hand hovered over her phone, though her eyes were still locked with her sisters, waiting for her to say something, to change her mind.

"I may not like him," Rosalie began.

"That's an understatement," Verona scoffed, earning a playful glare from the blonde.

"I may not like him," Rosalie repeated, voice gentle. "But your happiness means more to me than my hatred."

"Really?" Verona beamed.

"But if he hurts you," Rosalie continued, her eyes narrowing at the thought of her sister having a broken heart because of the very being she'd been taught not to trust, but still started falling for anyway. "I don't care if he's already dead. I'll find a way to resurrect him and make him suffer all over again."

"I wouldn't expect anything less of you," Verona grinned, leaning forward and enveloping her sister in a hug, which she didn't hesitate to return. "I love you, Rosie."

"I love you too, Vee." Rosalie's arms were still around her and she didn't plan to let go any time soon. "Please try and remember that the next time I make a stupid mistake."

Verona laughed, and for just one moment, it seemed like everything was okay again. She had her family by her side, and her mate was just a call away. Everything was perfect. 

Until suddenly, it wasn't.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net